They who Fall
by Black Watch
Summary: A man falls from grace, and another learns about it


Those who Fall  
  
Prologue  
Comings and Goings  
  
All comments and criticisms would be welcome. Send all praise and flames to: Macleodrichard@hotmail.com be warned that if you flame me I probably won't care.  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Diablo 2 in any way shape or form except for the 4 disks I have at home and use to play the game with on the occasional basis.  
  
People like to sound important. Weathermen on television like to talk about 'Shower Activity', sounds more important that showers. I even heard one guy on CNN talk about a 'Rain Event' swear ta god, he said "Louisiana's expecting a Rain Event." I thought 'Holy shit I hope I can get tickets to that!' - George Carlin  
  
{} denotes thoughts.  
** denotes any signs/books you may see.  
  
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Coming across the camp I quickly saw it was a shambles. People were dejected and hollow. I heard things were bad... I never thought they were this bad. The darkness must truly have returned. I would never have thought it possible without seeing this. Was he not defeated? Were we truly not strong enough? My worries increased as I came into the center of the camp and saw the group of Rouge's huddled around the blazing fire. I'd seen these people before, despite my limited knowledge of the world. Then... then they had been proud and fierce. I would have taken any one of them as my mate in a heart beat back then. But my vow's came in the way then.  
  
Now though, the pride was gone from their eyes. I think... I think it was replaced by shame. They would not be fighting anytime soon.  
  
It was then that I noticed other people walk towards the fire. The fire of youth and inexperience in their eyes. Greenhorns all five of them. I recognized the symbols of Zakarum on one of them. The Amazons I knew well enough. The pale albino man I thought might be a spell thrower. The large man dressed in little more than a skin I had no idea where he could have come from. And lastly another woman who wore something that looked like it wouldn't be fit for traveling in the cold. I suppose even the mage clans from the east were getting in on this once again.  
  
All of them must have been drawn here by the rumors of evil in the land. Unlike me. I'm here for my friends, but the evil is likely to pull them here as well. So what better place to start looking for them?  
  
One of the Rouges walking around the fire caught my eye then. Her eyes held defiance in them. If felt good to know that some of these daring women still challenged evil. She seemed interested in the Amazon woman right so I'd have to wait a time before I would get my chance to talk with her.  
  
It took longer than I expected. Every single one of the newbies got to her before me. Curse those amateurs and their lack of patience.  
  
I finally got my turn though. It certainly took long enough to didn't it? "Pardon me, but are you the leader here?"  
  
"Another outlander?" She almost snarled. "I imagine you're here to dispel the darkness as well?" Her voice was harsh. Probably, a hard-to-please person. Most definitely the leader.  
  
I smiled knowingly. "No, not at all. I've fought enough of the evil below Tristram." I tried to stop my smile from growing at her surprised expression. I think I failed. "I'm looking for a friend I fought with then. She led the Rouge's through-"  
  
"Blood Raven!" The woman spat.  
  
"Pardon?" I may have heard some colorful swears before, but not that one.  
  
"So you fought with Blood Raven have you?"  
  
"Her name is-"  
  
"The woman you knew is gone! All that is left of her is a shell! That abomination is residing somewhere near our burial grounds. Why, we don't know."  
  
I was stunned by this for sometime. "But... but she fought so valiantly against Diablo under Tristram... how could she be enslaved now?"  
  
The womans hard gaze softened into a sad frown. She placed a hand on my shoulder sympathetically. "I see you cared for her. I will tell you now though, if you see her, either kill her or run. She will kill you."  
  
I shrugged her hand off my shoulder. "She was my friend! I can't kill my friend!"  
  
"Even if it is for her own good?" She mused. "She is being held by the darkness and she cannot resist. I think she would be happier in the next life if a friend did her in rather than these younglings who have been arriving from abroad." And with that she walked off.  
  
Silently I stood there. {That's one way to look at it.} I thought to myself.  
  
I got directions to the burial grounds from their blacksmith, a woman named Charsi. She was a nice enough person, and she took great interest in the sword I carried. "It was a gift from a friend. The blacksmith from Tristram, Griswold. He crafted it using an anvil my friends and I discovered while searching for Diablo under Tristram. He said that it contained the essence of Hell, and that it would be a great tool against the minions of darkness." I explained, I was proud to hold such a weapon. It had proven to indeed be powerful.  
  
Charsi sighed sadly. "I wish I could make a sword like this again. Unfortunately I'd need my malus back an I left that in the barracks when we tried to escape the monastery."  
  
I smiled kindly. "I've got to go through the monastery to get to where I'm going. But if I find it, I'll bring it back."  
  
She brightened up at that. "You will? Oh thank you!"  
  
Waving my hand dismissively I said, "Think nothing of it. If people didn't bo nice things in this world it wouldn't be worth saving."  
  
The conversation continued with some idle chit-chat, then I set out. A stone bridge separated the camp from a place named the Blood Moor. Once I had crossed it I could 'feel' the taint on the land, the poisons of evil simply leeching into the ground. I looked around at the dark landscaped and frowned to myself. "This evil stands no chance against me."  
  
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The travel from Tristram was long and hard. I knew that the monastery couldn't have been that far up ahead, maybe a day or so, but what I saw as I came into the Rouge lands almost made me explode with anger. No... wait, almost is not the word. It did.  
  
"GOD DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!"  
  
A dump of a fort lay before me, it wasn't supposed to be there according the map I got last week. And more importantly even I could tell it was newly built.  
  
I'd been hoping for a nice place to sleep and rest, even eat some good food, and this is what I get. What was wrong now? I'd been hearing rumors from drunks and drug addicts but most of the time they just fuckin' raved about junk that wasn't important. I hated this place already. I hated this country. I hated this god forsaken world. All at once.  
  
It was then I realized that I'd better calm down. This wasn't me, this wasn't who I truly was. I had to get a grip on myself, Diablo's energies must have once again been trying to assert themselves in my mind. Luckily I'd been taking some training and I could hold it off. But it always seemed to get worse, thus creating these short bursts of madness whenever anything went wrong for me.  
  
Finally I cooled off. These temper flares always got to me. I had to hold fast and stick to the morals I grew up with as a child. I looked down at myself and checked my uniform. {Ah good, it isn't too dirty.} I thought to myself and dusted it off a bit, and then checked the sword at my hip as well as the other weapons I carried on my person. Everything was fine and, more importantly, professional looking. Yes, I was ready for what was going to come.  
  
I walked in and looked around the place. Everyone here looked tired of it all. The expression was definitely one that I was familiar with. Prisons back home had this type of feel in them. Especially on Death Row.  
  
I saw a few people walking around though that just didn't fit in. They weren't Rouge's. This was rather obvious because three of them were men but the two women didn't fit in either. Each of them looked like they were preparing themselves for battle. I'm beginning to have doubts about my being here.  
  
Yet another person caught my eye though. She was a woman dressed up in robes and keeping to a stand full of magical looking things. {Yes! A mystic!} I thought as I walked towards her. She looked up at me surprised as I approached her.  
  
"I've never seen this type of clothing before young man, may I ask where you are from?" She inquired, motioning to my camo jacket and pants.  
  
I scratched my head nervously. "Ah heh... that's rather hard to explain, let's just say that none of my people have ever come here before. And maybe you can help me with that." I replied.  
  
"How so?" She asked.  
  
"Well...." I trailed off as I contemplated just how to explain my personal story. It was certainly a doozy, even to me. "It kinda goes like this-" I explained to her just what my situation was and she nodded her head as if understanding what I was talking about.  
  
"I see, it is quite amazing I must say. Do you have any skill with that sword?" She asked pointing at the old katana'ish sword at my hip.  
  
I pointed at it. "This? I know a little about how to use it. But it's not really my weapon of choice."  
  
She nodded understandingly. "There's a place in the Blood Moor to the east called the Den of Evil. The forces of evil are gathering there as we speak. I may have already sent five others there to clear it out, but I'm not sure if their skill will be enough. I beseech you. Please go there and help them and I will see what I can do to help you." She bargained.  
  
I nodded my head. The kind of information I was looking for was EXTREMELY rare and it would normally take weeks for her to find even the barest tidbit of knowledge. So there was nothing wrong with doing a little work for her while I waited.  
  
I traveled around the camp for a few minutes and then went to the large fire in the middle of the camp to warm my hands. A man next to me who wore a turban and general middle east'ish clothes struck up a conversation with me as we both stood there.  
  
"I don't believe I've ever seen someone like you before." He mentioned to me.  
  
I shrugged my shoulders at the remark. "None of my people have ever visited this continent before." I said simply.  
  
"Really? What's your country like then?" He inquired.  
  
I paused to think for a second. "Well, it's far north so it's rather cold five months a year. We usually build wondrous cities in my land that people flock to for work. People are kind back home, course though, with a population of thirteen million there's bound to be trouble makers. My job is actually finding anyone who commits crimes and to bring them to justice." I explained. My head hung low after I said that last bit though. "Unfortunately the justice system back home doesn't work all that well."  
  
"It is often said that justice is blind."  
  
"Blind and deaf I'd say."  
  
The man seemed to chuckle at that, he turned to me and held out his hand. "I'm Warriv. I lead a caravan from here to Lut Gholein. I can't leave now that the monastery is closed though. Once the monastery is clear and the evil dispelled, I think I'd like to have you along with us."  
  
"I'm Duncan MacTaggart." I said shaking his hand. "As it is, I'm pretty sure that I'll be with you. Right now my path takes me to Lut Gholein."  
  
We chatted for a little while before I stood up to leave. The other five warriors had already left not long ago and it wouldn't do for me to get too far behind them. I walked across a stone bridge in the camp and then surveyed the area. All around far as I could see there were corpses littering the area. And some of them were getting back up. "Life don't get much worse than this."  
  
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I find this to be a good start. The first character is someone who was at Tristram during the events of the original Diablo and know's Blood Raven, The Summoner, and The Dark Traveler. The second is somewhat harder to explain and his story will come out in time. Same goes for both their heritage.  
  
I believe I will keep on writing this despite any bad reviews I might get about this. Frankly this is something that I've had in my head for a damn long time and only now am I getting around to writing it. So if anyone has anything 'nice' to say, please do! 


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